An electric vehicle (EV) uses an electric motor (or traction motor) for propulsion. Electric vehicles may include all-electric vehicles where the electric motor is the sole source of traction power, and hybrid electric vehicles that include an auxiliary power source in addition to the electric motor. In an electric vehicle, energy may be stored in one or more batteries to power the electric motor. When the stored energy decreases, the batteries may be recharged by connecting the vehicle to a power supply. Traditionally, charging an EV required the driver to park the vehicle and connect high voltage cables from the charger to a charging port in the vehicle. Such a charging method may be time intensive and may not be suitable for some applications. In some applications, to minimize charging time, the vehicle may automatically dock with and recharge its batteries at charging stations provided along its route. During docking, electrodes on the vehicle electrically connect with electrodes of the charging station to transfer power to the batteries.
In some operating conditions, snow and ice (collectively referred to herein as ice) may accumulate on the electrodes of the vehicle during operation. The accumulated ice may adversely affect the formation of a good electrical contact between the vehicle and the charging station. Embodiments of the current disclosure may alleviate the problems discussed above and/or other problems in the art. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.